''Sunny'' is a 1930 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

musical comedy film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

directed by William A. Seiter and starring

Lawrence Gray Lawrence Gray (July 28, 1898 – February 2, 1970) was an American actor of the 1920s and 1930s. Biography Born in San Francisco in 1898, Gray served during World War I in the U. S. Navy and gained a commission. After the war he began i ...

, O. P. Heggie, and

Inez Courtney Inez Courtney (October 12, 1897 – April 5, 1975) was an American actress on the Broadway stage and in films. Early years Born in Amsterdam, New York, Courtney came from a large Irish-American family. After her father's death when she was fif ...

. It was produced and released by First National Pictures. The film was based on the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

stage hit, '' Sunny'', produced by Charles Dillingham, which played from September 22, 1925, to December 11, 1926.

Marilyn Miller Marilyn Miller (born Mary Ellen Reynolds; September 1, 1898 – April 7, 1936) was one of the most popular Broadway musical stars of the 1920s and early 1930s. She was an accomplished tap dancer, singer and actress, and the combination of these ...

, who had played the leading part in the Broadway production, was hired by Warner Brothers to reprise the role that made her the highest-paid star on Broadway.

Plot

Marylin Miller plays the part of an American circus performer, doing her act in a British circus, who is engaged to a man she does not love. A former boyfriend, played by Lawrence Gray, stops by to see her before taking a boat back to the United States. Miller realizing that she loves Gray, decides to run away. She embarks on the same boat that Lawrence takes. Her father, who realizes what his daughter has done, reaches the boat just as it is about to leave and manages to board it. While onboard, Gray becomes engaged to be married to a wealthy socialite (Barbara Bedford). Miller learns that she will not be allowed to disembark in the United States without a passport. To land, Miller marries an American friend, intending to divorce him as soon as she is safely inside the United States. After arriving in the States, Miller tells Gray about her love for him. Bedford overhears them and tells Gray that she will announce their engagement at a party that very night. Disappointed, Miller decides to return to England, but Gray proposes to her just as she is about to leave.

Cast

as Sunny Peters *

as Tom Warren *Joe Donahue as James Denning * O. P. Heggie as Mr. Peters *

as Weenie * Barbara Bedford as Margaret Manners * Judith Vosselli as Sue Warren * Clyde Cook as Sam *

Mackenzie Ward Mackenzie Ward (20 February 1903 – January 1976) was a British stage and film actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or ...

as Harold Harcourt Wendell-Wendell ''uncredited'' * Harry Allen as Side Show Barker *B. F. Blinn as Party Guest * William B. Davidson as First Ship's Officer *

Jay Eaton Jay Eaton (March 17, 1899 – February 5, 1970) was an American character actor whose career spanned both the silent and sound film eras. Biography Born on March 17, 1899, in Union, New Jersey, Eaton entered the film industry with a featured r ...

as Man 'Weenie' Flirts with at Ball *Bill Elliott as One of Tom's Friends *

June Gittelson June Gittelson (May 6, 1910November 28, 1993) was an American film actress. She appeared in more than 70 films between 1928 and 1945. Career Due to her rotund figure, Gittelson was often cast as a love interest who often intimidated her husband ...

as Mrs. Hammerslagger *Ben Hendricks, Jr. as Second Ship's Officer *

Franklin Pangborn Franklin Pangborn (January 23, 1889 – July 20, 1958) was an American comedic character actor famous for playing small but memorable roles with comic flair. He appeared in many Preston Sturges movies as well as the W. C. Fields films '' Interna ...

as Party Guest *

Ellinor Vanderveer Ellinor Vanderveer (August 5, 1886 – May 27, 1976), was an American actress who usually played dowagers, high class society matrons or party guests. She appeared in 111 films between 1924 and 1953, including several Laurel and Hardy come ...

as Party Guest

Music

* "The Hunt Dance" (Danced by Marilyn Miller) * "I Was Alone" (Performed by Marilyn Miller) * "When We Get Our Divorce" (Danced by Marilyn Miller and Joe Donahue) * " Who?" (Performed by Marilyn Miller and Lawrence Gray) * "Oh! Didn't He Ramble" (Performed by Lawrence Gray and Men) * "Sunny" (Cut from film before release) * "D'Ya Love Me?" (Cut from film before release) * "Two Little Love Birds" (Cut from film before release)

Production

Marilyn Miller was paid $50,000 for her work on this film, after being paid $100,000 for ''

Sally Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military * Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting na ...

'' (1929), her previous film. The film was completed as a full musical. Due to the backlash against musicals, however, Warner Bros. was forced to make many cuts to the film and much of the original music is missing or severely truncated. The film had originally been announced as a

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

production in trade journals. This was dropped once the studio realized that the public was growing weary of musicals. The film was released as a full musical outside of the United States, where a backlash against musicals never occurred. It is not known whether a print of this longer version still exists.

Box office

According to Warner Bros records the film earned $537,000 domestically and $153,000 foreign.

Preservation

''Sunny'' survives only in the American cut version which was released in late 1930 by Warner Bros. This version of the film needs restoration. The current circulating print has a poor sound that was inappropriately transferred from the original

Vitaphone Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone was the last major analog sound-on-disc system and the only one ...

discs in the 1950s. The original Vitaphone discs are still extant which could be used to properly restore the original sound to the film. The black and white version is preserved in the Library of Congress collection.''Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress'', (<-book title) p.177 c.1978 by The American Film Institute

References

External links

* * {{William A. Seiter 1930 films 1930 musical comedy films First National Pictures films 1930s English-language films Films directed by William A. Seiter American black-and-white films American musical comedy films Films based on musicals 1930s American films